Monday, October 20, 2008

New Half Marathon PR!!!

OK, so maybe it wasn't a REAL Half Marathon. I mean, there were no t-shirts, or medals or timing chips. But on Saturday morning during our "slow" 14 mile run, J's Garmin told us we hit 13.1 at a whopping:

1:59:59!!!

Holy Crap! A SUB 2 hour half marathon!!! Why can't I do that during a race?

Well, reason number 1: The weather.

We woke up to 43 degree temps on Saturday morning. Something I haven't seen in years. I didn't even know what to do with myself. Or what to wear for that matter. So I layered up with a thin tank, a long sleeve, my new capris, gloves that J made me buy at our last expo and an earband that J had tucked in the closet from his old mountain biking days. And I have to say, with all this gear on I was actually the most comfortable I had ever been on a run. No chaffing, or tugging, or riding up, or flopping around. Other than my hands being a little sweaty, it was perfect.

Reason 2: My stomach.

My parent's were visiting this weekend and my dad made his famous Swiss Steak with Mashed Potatoes for dinner. For once, we ate something besides pasta the night before a run and my stomach felt great (same thing when I ate the Shepherd's Pie a few weeks back). Maybe I should steer clear of pasta and just eat potatoes, they seem to agree with me more.

Reason 3: I was well rested.

I actually got about 7 hours of sleep the night before. Wow, what a difference THAT makes!

Reason 4: I was totally lazy last week.

Sooooo lazy. And you know what? I think it's perfectly fine to be lazy every now and then. I ran over 40 miles the week before with a 20 mile run thrown in. Last week I was just tired. Not only was I tired, but I was bored as hell. The thought of getting out there on the bike path for an hour made me cringe. So I rested. I rode my bike one day and MADE myself go for a 7 miler on Thursday (which by the way was REALLY hot and miserable). Other than that, I just let myself relax a bit and not worry. Come Saturday, my legs felt fantastic and I was ready to get out there and run again.

All that together made for a perfect run on Saturday morning. The weather was great, no clothing issues, I wasn't tired, no GI problems, I felt wonderful. I knew we were going a bit faster than usual but J didn't say anything and I figured I had rested so much all week I may as well go for it and see what happened. Our pace for the whole run was 9:06. Definitely the fastest I have ever run 14 miles.

And about 2 miles from the finish we passed all the people who were walking the Philadelphia Breast Cancer 3-Day Event as they started their second day of 20 mile walks through Philly. These brave souls walked 60 miles over 3 days through the streets of Philadelphia and CAMPED OUT in between walks (did I mention how cold it was?) to raise money for breast cancer research.

As we ran up the street, they all passed us on the sidewalk. We cheered them on as we ran and thanked them for walking. It was funny to be running and cheering on the people who weren't, but they were great and cheered us right back with giant smiles on their faces. It was fun to see the hundreds the women and men dressed in pink walking along Main Street Manayunk and an inspiring way to end the long run. I also think all their cheering for us helped us run a little faster at the end.

So maybe I didn't get a medal at the end of my new PR, but the experience was pretty wonderful anyway.

Other than that, it was a great weekend. Just hung out with my parent's, showing them around Philly and eating more Cheesesteaks...
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...enjoying the Phillies Phever. (Although, I am also happy about TB making it, but I have to go with the Phillies on this one)...
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...and of course, loving the beautiful fall weather.
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Tomorrow I start my new job. EEK! No more mid-day running and blog-reading for me. Wish me luck!

LAAAZZYYYYY...
Monday, 10/13 - off
Tuesday, 10/14 - Bike - 15 miles (walked 3 because of flat - ugh!)
Wednesday, 10/15 - off
Thursday, 10/16 - 7 miles/1:04:43 - 9:15 pace (thought I was running waaaaaay slower than this)
Friday, 10/17 - off
Saturday, 10/18 - 13.72 miles/2:05:02 - 9:06 pace (J yelled at me when we were done for running too fast...oops)
Sunday, 10/19 - off

Total Weekly Mileage: 20.72 (RUN)
Total Weekly Mileage: 15 (BIKE)

21 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey that's awesome - official race or not! Congratulations!

N.D. said...

Great job on the PR!! Yay!! and good luck, I hope today went well for the 1st day of work! my sister is running disney. :) Those cupcakes look awesome, go phillies!

Jess said...

Excellent training PR! It's also easier to PR without a race because there are no fellow racers. I know they slow me way down!

Also, I lurv potatoes as the carb of choice the day before a long run or race. Sweet potatoes are also excellent for me.

BeachRunner said...

Way to go on the PR! How cool is it that everything fell into place for you on this run. That is awesome and should really boost your confidence.

BTW, I think reason #4 on your list is the most underrated thing for us addicted runners to remember (rest/recovery is necessary and does not equal lazy). Congrats and good luck on the new job.

Marcy said...

WHOOOOO HOOOOOO!!! YEAH CHICA!! A PR is a PR!! You're gonna nail it next HM, I just KNOW IT! ;D ;D

SuperDave said...

You are going to have to stop "rubbing in" the cheesesteaks unless you airmail one to TN! haha
Dang, I think it is time to retread those shoes. I can smell the rubber burning from here.

Anonymous said...

You don't need a medal or t-shirt to PR. Great job breaking 2 hours!!! I have no doubt you will post those numbers during a half.

Those cupcakes look so good.

joyRuN said...

Congrats on the PR!! You'll rock the Philly Marathon for sure :)

I'm still trying to convince my hub why a stop at Jim's for a pre-race cheesesteak (provolone, fried onions) is so NOT a good idea.

FLYERS26 said...

Nice PR!
I prefer Pat's to Geno's, for the tourist cheessteak joints.

But damn.. .those cupcakes look good!

Shoe Running said...

That's an awesome time for the half! Just under the wire, but definitely under it :) Have fun be'in LAAAZZZZYYY!!! :)

Unknown said...

Nice! A PR is a PR. Now that you know you can do it I'm sure you'll show it in your next race.

Unknown said...

If you weren't so far, I'd invite you to the next card-making marathon! One of my girlfriends is a graphic designer too so she's a neat one to have around for ideas! (I see GD on your profile...)

Aron said...

wooo that is awesome!!! next half you can definitely get a sub 2 hour - especially knowing you did it before! great job!

Bert said...

Excellent job on a training PR; with a little crowd encouragement, think how much better you'd be able to do in a real race!

Runner Leana said...

Congratulations on that new PR! It sounds like protein and some potatoes may be the thing for you pre-run. Good luck on the new job!

Unknown said...

Woohoo! Way to go ! You rock !!! A PR is a PR. Like you, I ain't into pasta the night before the race. I tend to focus more on protein! Protein RULES! I just don't do well on pasta. I guess you will be on your way for a new PR for Philly marathon.

P.O.M. said...

Sometimes resting and being lazy is the best way to get a good fast run in! Congrats. You will def have a sub 2 half on your next one.

Good luck with new jobby job.

Casey said...

Three cheers for Swiss Steak! Seriously, nice time on your "pretend" half-marathon! That's really sweet. Great photos, by the way!

Michelle said...

Wow, check you out, speedy girl!

Good luck at your new job!! :-)

Frayed Laces said...

Wow! Great job on the PR! Methinks you will get an "official" PR very soon...

Sonia said...

WOMAN! YOU ARE SO DARN FAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Congrats!! A sub 2h half is like my lifelong dream goal!!! Congrats! I'm so happy for you =)

 
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